Mercedes-Benz SLC, Buying guide, MOT record, UK numbers and recalls
8,705 Mercedes-Benz SLCs are licensed in the UK. In 2025 they passed 85.1% of initial MOT tests, 12.8 points above the 72.3% UK average.
Looking at a specific SLC? Check its finance, write-off, stolen, mileage and keeper history. £15, no account needed.
Mercedes-Benz SLC at the MOT
85.1% of 8,981 initial tests passed in 2025, ranking the SLC 119th of 575 models. Mercedes-Benz SLCs aged 3 to 5 years passed 89.2% of MOT tests in 2025; for examples aged 6 to 10 years that fell to 84.4%.
First-time pass rate, 2025
Share of initial tests passed, retests excluded.
Pass rate by age at test
Mercedes-Benz SLC tests in 2025.
Where SLCs fail
Share of all failure items recorded on Mercedes-Benz SLC tests in 2025.
The items testers recorded most often were condition has ply or cords exposed (12.6%), condition has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords (9.7%) and coil spring fractured or broken (9%).
The MOT page lists every common SLC MOT failure. For one car's own results and advisories, run a free MOT history check.
What to look at on a viewing
The SLC's most common failure areas, and what a tester checks in each.
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Tyres
Check tread depth across the full width of every tyre (the legal minimum is 1.6mm), and look for cuts, bulges and uneven wear.38.7% of SLC failure items
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Suspension
Listen for knocks over bumps, check the car sits level, and look for leaking shock absorbers and split rubber gaiters.25.7% of SLC failure items
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Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment
Walk round with every light on: headlights, brake lights, indicators, fog lights and the number plate lamp. Check no warning lights stay on after starting.10.3% of SLC failure items
Mercedes-Benz SLCs in the UK
8,705 were licensed at the end of June 2026. The number licensed has grown 273% since the end of 2016.
- Change since 2016
- +273%from 2,332 licensed
- Typical year of first use
- 2017half of those licensed at the end of 2025 were first used in 2017 or earlier
- First registered in 2025
- 1against 3,655 in 2017
- Declared off the road
- 1932.2% of those registered, under SORN
Licensed Mercedes-Benz SLCs since 2016
Licensed at each year end and in the latest quarter.
Show the figures
| Date | Licensed |
|---|---|
| End of 2016 | 2,332 |
| End of 2017 | 5,731 |
| End of 2018 | 7,154 |
| End of 2019 | 7,775 |
| End of 2020 | 8,521 |
| End of 2021 | 8,654 |
| End of 2022 | 8,717 |
| End of 2023 | 8,666 |
| End of 2024 | 8,613 |
| End of 2025 | 8,590 |
| End of June 2026 | 8,705 |
How old they are
Licensed Mercedes-Benz SLCs by year of first use.
- Licensed at the end of 2025
- First registered that year
Show the figures
| First used | Licensed, end 2025 | First registered that year |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 177 | 191 |
| 2020 | 573 | 608 |
| 2019 | 960 | 1,043 |
| 2018 | 1,426 | 1,572 |
| 2017 | 3,290 | 3,655 |
| 2016 | 2,160 | 2,393 |
SLC engines and fuel
2.0 litre engines made up 52% of Mercedes-Benz SLC MOT tests in 2025, followed by 2.1 litre at 31%. Petrol accounts for 69% of licensed SLCs and diesel for 31%.
Engine size at MOT, 2025
Share of 8,981 initial MOT tests in 2025.
Fuel type, licensed SLCs
DfT licensing statistics, June 2026.
| Fuel | Licensed | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Petrol | 5,968 | 69% |
| Diesel | 2,737 | 31% |
Mercedes-Benz SLC recalls
16 DVSA safety recalls launched from 1992 to October 2026 name the Mercedes-Benz SLC. The 8 most recent are below. Each covers vehicles built in a set period, so a recall does not mean every SLC is affected.
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Nov 2021 R/2021/376
The behaviour of the emergency call system might not meet specifications
Defect and remedy
- Remedy
- Update the software of the communication module for the emergency call system.
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May 2021 R/2021/110
The behaviour of the emergency call system might not meet specifications
Defect and remedy
- Remedy
- Update the software of the communication module for the emergency call system.
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May 2021 R/2021/120
The behaviour of the emergency call system might not meet specifications
Defect and remedy
- Remedy
- Update the software of the communication module for the emergency call system.
-
May 2021 R/2021/111
The behaviour of the emergency call system might not meet specifications
Defect and remedy
- Remedy
- Update the software of the communication module for the emergency call system.
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May 2021 R/2021/134
The behaviour of the emergency call system might not meet specifications
Defect and remedy
- Remedy
- Update the software of the communication module for the emergency call system.
-
May 2021 R/2021/133
The emergency call system might not meet specifications
Defect and remedy
- Defect
- The behaviour of the emergency call system might not meet specifications.
- Remedy
- Update the software of the communication module for the emergency call system.
-
May 2021 R/2021/132
The behaviour of the emergency call system might not meet specifications
Defect and remedy
- Remedy
- Update the software of the communication module for the emergency call system.
-
May 2021 R/2021/131
The behaviour of the emergency call system might not meet specifications
Defect and remedy
- Remedy
- Update the software of the communication module for the emergency call system.
Other Mercedes-Benz models
The most-tested Mercedes-Benz models in 2025, against the SLC's 85.1% MOT pass rate.
- Mercedes-Benz A-Class
- Mercedes-Benz C-Class
- Mercedes-Benz E-Class
- Mercedes-Benz GLA
- Mercedes-Benz Vito
- Mercedes-Benz GLC
Mercedes-Benz SLC FAQs
How many Mercedes-Benz SLCs are there in the UK?
8,705 Mercedes-Benz SLCs were licensed in the UK at the end of June 2026, with a further 193 declared off the road (SORN), according to DfT vehicle licensing statistics.
Is the Mercedes-Benz SLC reliable?
MOT data does not measure reliability. It records whether a car met the roadworthiness standard on the day of its test. What it does show is an 85.1% first-time pass rate for the Mercedes-Benz SLC across 8,981 tests in 2025, above the 72.3% average for all cars.
Has the Mercedes-Benz SLC had any recalls?
16 DVSA safety recalls launched from 1992 to October 2026 name the Mercedes-Benz SLC. The most recent was published in November 2021. A recall applies to vehicles built in a set period, so check a specific car on the GOV.UK vehicle recall checker.
What should I check before buying a used Mercedes-Benz SLC?
On the car itself, start with the areas it most often fails on: tyres, suspension and lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment. Then check the individual car's own records. Outstanding finance, insurance write-offs and police stolen markers are not part of the MOT record, so they take a history check.
How do I check a Mercedes-Benz SLC's history?
Enter the registration of the specific car. A Carpeep car history check reports outstanding finance, write-off category, stolen markers, mileage history, previous keepers, MOT and tax status, import and export markers and scrapped status in one £15 report.
Already found an SLC?
Check its finance, write-off, theft, mileage and keeper history with a £15 vehicle history report.
Across the 1,548 vehicles of every make Carpeep has checked since November 2025, 19% had outstanding finance recorded and 13% an insurance write-off. More on the Mercedes-Benz history check. To confirm a car's identity, see the Mercedes-Benz VIN check.
- Outstanding finance
- Write-off records
- Stolen markers
- Mileage history
- Previous keepers
MOT figures are aggregated from the DVSA MOT Anonymised data set for 2025 (class 4 initial tests, retests excluded), which also gives the engine sizes. Licensed, SORN, fuel and registration figures are from the Department for Transport vehicle licensing statistics (VEH0120, VEH0124, VEH0160). Recalls are from the DVSA vehicle recalls data, with recalls launched up to October 2026. Government data is used under the Open Government Licence v3.0. MOT results describe roadworthiness at test, not mechanical reliability. History-check findings are anonymous counts from reports bought on Carpeep, each vehicle counted once, and are published only where at least 100 vehicles returned an answer.